Squier Telecaster E Series 1984-1987 Blonde MIJ

Squire E series, MIJ telecaster, yellow blond

Rare Squire E series, MIJ telecaster, beautiful yellow blond color, maple neck.  In very good condition for it’s age.  All natural relic from actual players makes it extremely comfortable to play and handle without worrying about a pristine condition.Minor fret ware, very small knicks in the neck that are very hard to find or feel.  VERY comfortable neck.  (Some MIJ necks alone sell for this price).  Has original knobs, locking tuners, and strap buttons.  Includes a near-vintage soft case in near-new condition, also very rare color and logo.  Well set up and a pleasure to play

Upgraded to Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pickups ($180), although the original pickups are also very nice.  Original pickups included in box.

S/N E615026

A little more interesting info from the internet:

MIJ 1984-1987 very rare

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups (QP) are high-output single-coil pickups recognized by their large, 1/4-inch diameter Alnico 5 magnets, designed to deliver a punchy, fat tone with high-end sparkle that bridges the gap between single-coils and humbuckers. They are ideal for rock, blues, and metal, offering increased output, strong mids, and improved sustain.

Are 80s Japan made Fender telecasters as good as their American counterparts? What makes them different?

General consensus is that the Fenders made in Japan are EXCELLENT quality, and of equal or better quality than USA made (Custom Shop excepted of course).

The 1980’s were a weird time for guitars in general, and for Fender in particular. When CBS took over from Leo Fender, quality went down in favor of volume. CBS fiddled with the original formula resulting in the big headstock and the three bolt neck (which was to adjust the tilt angle of the neck, but they couldn’t get the tolerances correct). In the 1980’s, CBS sold Fender to Fender Musical Instrument Corp (FMIC), and the sale did not include the original factory in Fullerton. So there was a time when you couldn’t get a USA made fender simply because they didn’t have a factory to produce them.

The ‘80’s were also a time after Eddie Van Halen came out and every one was turning away from “vintage style” instruments to Kraemer’s, Charvel/Jacksons “superstrats” with the Floyd Rose Trem. The vintage/traditional style Strats and Teles weren’t in huge demand at the time.

Fender Japan products had consistent good quality work. Let’s face it, “end of CBS years” quality wasn’t very good for U.S. production. Japanese, everything fit correctly, finish was excellent and so were the pickups/electronics.

Differences in Japanese made guitars is that they sometimes use basswood for the solid color guitars. The original Fenders used swamp ash which is light weight (normally). Japan does not have swamp ash so they used basswood. The sunburst, natural ones used alder (like the U.S.A. ones), but for a solid color one I would expect basswood. The electronics may or may not be different as well. It is rumored some Japan made guitars had USA made pickups. Some had Japanese pickups and electronics (instead of USA made switchcraft or CTS pots). But in general they are excellent quality.

It depends on the shape of the instrument, but Squiers from the SQ or E series (essentially 1983–1985) are very well made instruments. They were the first Japanese Fenders, and they are in large part responsible for the recovery of Fender from its weak quality control and lack of innovation in the 1970’s.

Of the Squier guitars of that era, most are Stratocasters, and those Strats are generally very good. Some are quite innovative as well, such as the Contemporary and Royal Contemporary Strats. The Telecasters of that era from Squier tend to be more traditional but very well made. There were several Japanese factories involved with the manufacture (including the well-regarded Fuji-Gen), but much of the wood stock actually originated in the U.S. The hardware is consistently very good - not top of the line, but more than adequate to make a guitar play well.

“Made in Japan” Years –E + 6 digits = 1984 - 1987